1/20/12. There have been several cases recently where Municipal Court judges have been at issue for crossing the line between judge and prosecutor, but the case of a Linden Twp. Judge was no mere weaving over the yellow line. He jumped the line and landed in a ditch on the other side. In a matter last year, the Linden Twp Judge denied a continuance to get a lawyer, allowed the arresting officer to act on behalf of the State, dotted the State's case with his own questions, then convicted and sent two defendants to jail. The case was later reversed by the Law Division who called said the judge called to mind the days of back woods frontier hanging judges who despensed "justice" in dictatorial style. Judical ethics charges were later instituted. (The judge has cited in his defense, calendar concerns for why he moved a case without his prosecutor.) There were 5 or 6 news articles on the case, but still Linden Twp political support remained firm in its support of its judge...until Tuesday when the town finally removed the judge in favor of another political appointee. The judicial ethics proceedings are pending.